Coal-cutting machine



(No Model.) 4 sheetssheet 1.

J. H. MGEWBN & B. E. CARTWRIGH'I'..

GOAL CUTTING MACHINE.

4No. 450,971. Patented Apr. 21, 1891.

WJTNESSES- INVENTUM A HORA/Ex (No Model.) 4'Sheets--Shee13 2.

J. H. MGEWBN su B. B. GARTWRIGHT. GOAL CUTTING MACHINE.

No. 450,971. Patented Apr. 21, 1891.

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J, H. MGBWEN 8v B. E. CARTW'RI@HT. GOAL CUTTING MACHINE. No. 450,971. PatentdApr. 21, 1891.

w A l@ Nirn 'rares JAMES 1I. HCEIVEN AND BURR E. OARTVRIGHT, OF RIDGIVAY, PENN- SYLVANIA; SAID OARTIVRIGHT ASSIGNOR OF TIVO-FIFTHS TO DAVID ROBERTSON, OF SAME PLACE, AND SAMUEL IIINES, OF SORANTON,

PENNSYLVANIA.

COAL--CUTTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 450,971, dated April 21, 1891.

Application filed October 20, 1890. Serial No. 368,733. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom, t may concern.-

Be it known that we, JAMES H. MoEwEN and BURR E. CARTWRIGHT, citizens of the United States, residing at Ridgway, in the county of Elk and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coal-Cutting Machines; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to coal-cutting machines used in coalmining and provided with endless traveling chains to which the knives are attached.

The object of this invention is in part to provide mechanism for automatically causing an out\var ;llysweeping motion of the cutting devices, considered as a Whole, from their normal position in a line with the gear-driving shafts, in order that the line of cutting beginning at the out-er face may be made to extend deeply into the coal until it is approximately at right angles or at an angle of one hundred degrees with the driving-shafts of the gearing and the face-line of the coal.

Our invention consists in the devices employed for this purpose and in the combination therewith of t-he devices for driving the endless chain and cutters or knives and the devices for feeding the machine as a whole along the face of the coal.

The invention also consists in certain additional features of constructions and combination, all as hereinafter more particularly set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a plan view of the machine with certain parts only of the electric motor. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a rear elevation of the same machine. Fig. et represents a detail vertical section of the sleeve on which the cutter-arm is mounted and certain proximate devices. Fig. 5 represents a detail plan view of the driving sprocket-wheel for said cutter. Fig. 6 represents a plan of the segment and worm with adjacent devices for turning said cutter-arm outward and inward on its pivot. Fig. 7 represents a vertical longitudinal section of the cutter-arm and driven sprocket-wheel, the driving sprocket-Wheel being shown in elevation. Fig. S represents a cross-section on the line c: 0c of Fig. 7. Fig. 9 represents a side elevation of a part of said cutter-arm. Fig. 10 represents a longitudinal section of the sleeve connecting the shafts 15 and 16, hereinafter described, and of certain fastening devices attached to said sleeve, the said shafts being shown in elevation. Fig. 11 represents a side elevation of the outer part of the cutter-ar1n carrying the cutters. Fig. 12 represents a planview of the same. Fig. 13 represents in side elevation the devices for holding the movable track B in position, and Fig. 14 represents a vertical section of the cutter-arm and' chain-guide. Figs. 4 to 14, inclusive, are enlarged from the scale of the first three iigures. Fig. 15 represents a detail sectional view of the conical clutch and the correspondingly-recessed wheel with which it engages.

`A designates the frame of the machine, ce the axle of the electric motor, and d four lugs or feet of the mot-or secured to the frame.

B designates asection or length of portable track consisting of two rails upon which the machine moves.

O designates the swinging cutter-arm.

c designates the rails of a short section of track of the same gage as the tramway of the coal-mine in which the machine is to Work.

This short section of track is placed between.

the rails of track `B and transversely thereto and in alignment with the rails of the tramway in such a manner that the machine may be moved along the tramway, as hereinafter set forth.

Upon the opposite ends of the motor-shaft a are attached bevel-pinions d and c. Pinion d engages the bevel-wheel f, attached to the vertical spindle g, which latter is carried in a box h, projecting from its upright support t', attached to the frame.

Attached to the lower end of the spindle g is a pinion j, which engages the spur-wheel 7c and drives it.

To the lower end of the spindle Z of the spur-wheel 7a the drivingsprocket-wheel D is secured. The driven sprocket-wheel D is IOO carried at the outer extremity ot' the cutterarm C. The length of arm l.' is adjustable to take up wear of chain.

'm and m are plates which form part of the cutter-arm and project beyond the hub part n and embrace the driven sprocket-wheel, as fully represented in Figs. 7, 8, and 9. The plates fm, and Vm are rmly secured to the part u by a stout bolt o.

p is a screw-bolt, the head of which is perforated, as represented in Fig. 7, for receiving a pin for turning the same.

is a collar in which the point of the bolt turns freely. The bolt p is contained in a recess r in the part n. y

s is a nut for the bolt p, which projects from both sides of the recess and is pushed by the screw-bolt against the ends of plates m and m. The nut s is V-shaped, as indicated in the drawings, in order that it may press the ends of the plates against the part fn. The latter part is also provided with a slot t in order that the bolt o may move with the plates m and fm. A washer q, retained in position by plates `m m, prevents the said screw-bolt, which passes through said washer, from moving up or down in the recess. The plates m and m', carrying the driven sprocket-wheel, are forced endwise by turning the screw-bolt p, and the length of the arm C is thus extended.

The sprocket-wheels D and D carry the endless chain, to thelinks of which the knives or cutters hereinafter described are attached.

The endless chain E is shown in detail in Figs. 11 and 12. wheels enter the spaces between the links ot' the said chain.

The forms of the cutters are represented `in the drawings.

'w is a form of cutter which is secured in the middle of a link with set-screw, as shown,

and fr a form of cutter suitably secured in the l side of the other links by dovetailing and pin S, which is held in place by set-screw I, as indicated in Figs. 11 and 12.

thrown out.

Vhen the machine is in operation, the cut is begun with the arm C at or near the position indicated in Figs. l and 2 2'. e., parallel with the front of the machine and close to or partly under the same. As the cutting proceeds the arm C swings around the axis of the driving sprocket-wheel until it reaches a position about parallel with axle a. Then, the machine moving to the left, the cutting continues in that direction.

The vertical spindle l has its bearing within the hollow spindle e, which carries the cutter-arm C,andis carried by a projecting part of the frame A.

To the upper end of hollow spindle is attached rigidly the worin-wheel segment l, which is actuated by the worm 2 and swings the arm back and forth, as required. The

The teeth of the sprocketammi worm i is provided at one end with hardenedsteel buttons 3 and adjusting-screw t for reducing the friction caused by the thrust of the screw. The axle 5 of the worm carries at one end a miter-wheel 6 and a bevel-pinion 7, which engage, respectively, with corresponding miter-wheel 8 and bevel-wheel 9 on the sliding shaft 10, which shaft is carried in bearing-boxes l1 `and 12 and is moved endwise to bring the miterwheels in gear when the cutter-arm is moving outward and the cutters are at work and moved in the opposite direction to engage the bevel-wheels to withdraw the cutter-arm and swing it backward to the position represented in Figs. l and 2. These wheels are so proportioned that the arm is withdrawn much faster than it is fed into the cut.

13 and 1t are collars so placed on the axle 10 that the teeth ot the gears cannot bottom-' that is, cannot reach the bottoms of the recesses opposed thereto. The distance apart of the gear-wheels on axle 10 is such that when the cutter-arm is not swinging both pairs of gears will be disengaged, allowing shaft 10 to run without moving arm C in either direction. To the rear end of axle 10 is rigidly secured a hub or sleeve 15, which receives at the rear end the shaft 16 and feather 17. The space within the sleeve 15 and between the ends of the shafts 10 and 16 is sut'icient to permit the required end movement of the former shaft. Shaft 16 drives shaft 10 always in the same direction. The sleeve is moved in either direction by means of levers 18 and 19, lever 19 having its fulcrum in the part or projection 20, and is connected with the sleeve by means of the collars 21 and 22 and pivotal screws and 24, of well-known construction. i Clearly represented in Figs. 1 and 10.)

Axle 16 has its hearings in boxes 25 and 26 and carries iirmly secured to its rear endV the wormwheel :27, meshing with worm 30 on worm-shaft 29, which is driven by the bevelpinion e on the driving-shaft a, meshing with 1 the bevel-wheel 28 `on the said worm-shaft. g/ is a scraper by which the cuttings are Shaft 16 also carries a spur-pinion 31, which engages a spur-wheel 32 upon shaft 33, turning in boxes 34 and 35 and having on its forward end a bevel-pinion 36, which drives bevel-wheel 37 on the upper end of the vertical spindle 38, and with it the said spindle and the feed-pinion 39, attached to its lower end and engaging the teeth of the rack 40, attached to the rail of track B. Spindle 38 is carried in the upright column 41, attached to the frame. The feed-pinion, with spindle and i bevel-wheel attached, is raised up to disengage the rack by means of a forked lever 42 and attachments of well-known construction. (,Clearlyrepresentedinthedrawings.) Forked i lever 42 is fulcrumed to a hanger on under side of frame on an axle which projects through the side of frame and is operated by the lever 4.

Suitable appliances are used for holding the IIO several levers in the desired positions. Thus 45 indicates a rack with a series of notches for holding one of said levers, and 47 a series of sockets and a pin movable from one to another for holding another of said levers. Being of great simplicity, these contrivances do not require further description. The feedpinion operating in the rack 40 moves the machine steadily to the left as rapidly as the cutters will operate to advantage.

lVhen it is desired to move the machine along the tramway of the mine, the screw 49 is turned, forcing the wheels 50 down upon rails c c and raising the machine clear above the track B, the position of the machine thus lifted being represented in Fig. 3.

51 51 are the wheels which rest upon the rails of track B and upon which the machine moves when in operation. The axles of wheels 50 are carried in parallel swinging hangers 52 and 53, the axles of which hangers turn freely in lugs 54 on the under side of the frame and are connected together by parallel bars 55, be-

tween which bars the nut 58 of screw 49 is swiveled. The said parallel bars 55 and hangers 52 and 53 constitute, collectively, a supplemental frame or truck having pivotal attachment to the main frame of the machine, so l swiveled in hangers 57, projecting from the fralne. The teeth and rim of bevel-wheel 28 are formed about a greatly-enlarged hub, which is recessed to form the female part of a friction-clutch, into which the male part or cone 58 is accurately fitted. The wheel 28, when the cone 58 is withdrawn, turns freely on the worm-shaft 29 between collars, so that wheel 2S, being always in gear with pinion c, will revolve whenever the motor-axle a does. The forked lever 59, connected with a collar on the hub of cone 5S in the usual manner, is operated by lever 60 and moves the cone alongthe axle into and out of connection with the female cone. The cone 5S is caused to revolve with the shaft 29 by a feather in the usual manner, and when in contact with the female cone is driven by the latter, and the axle 29 can thus be stopped and started without stopping the electric motor.

Thev guide-wheels d a d a are placed at each corner of the machine in such a position that they act as guides, keeping the truck-wheels 51 51, which have no flanges, in line with track B. The obj ect of these wheels is that they will have less friction when'the machine is feeding along the face of the coal than flanged truck-wheels. All four wheels are shown in Fig. 3 and only two in Fig. 1,

as the two on the right-hand side of Fig. 1.

are under the machine.

On the face of the arm C is fastened a chainguides d in such a manner thatit does not interfere with the adjusting of the arm. The

guide is fastened to arm c with screws c. The object of this guide is to prevent the endless chain e from sagging. The said guide d is shown in section in Fig. 14.

The above-described arrangement of knives makes it unnecessary for each knife to cut the full width of the opening or for the cutting-faces of all the knives to have an aggregate face width equal to the width of said opening. Besides the coal directly cut away by the knives, the intervening coal will ordinarily be broken away by them. In some cases it will, however, remain as two thin walls, more or less fragmentary, occupying the space between thelines of cut of the outer knives .fr and the line of cut of the middle knife zu. To prevent this we attach a wedge 8O to said chain directlybehind the said middle knife. This wedge will effectually break up the said walls of coal.

The portable track B is held in position by forked screws thatare plainly shown in Fig. 13.

The forked end of screw 7l embraces the top of rail B to prevent said screw from turning. A hand-wheel 72 is keyed to hollow shaft 7 3, which has one end closed, as shown, a thread being cut in the end that has the handwheel keyed to it. This internal thread fits the threaded rod or screw 71. The said hand-wheel, being turned,thrusts the end of said hollow shaft against the roof of the mine, the friction of the rail against the ground or the wooden board which is commonly placed under the said rail keeping the track in position. The shaft Zbeing arranged beyond the front line of the frame and track B, the cutter-knives may extend down even with the bottom of said frame and track, or, as shown in Fig. 2, may extend below the said track to the distance of about the thickness of an ordinary plank which may be laid below said track. The plank is less likely to slip on the surface of the coal than the rail would be, and hence is preferred. In either case the lower edge of the cutter is even with the base of the mechanism, and the successive cuts going into the coal will all be on the saine plane. If the cutter be raised above this level, each advance of the rail, frame, and machine into the mass of coal will be followed by elevation of the cutting-level, since at each journey parallel with the face of the coal the machine runs on a level made by the cutting o'f the previous journey, and each inward advance will be, so to speak, from terrace to terrace, so that the machine and its cutters will be ascending instead of cutting on the plane of the coal. By our construction this defeet is done away with and the machine will work evenly and properly whether on a horizontal plane or following the dip of the coal. The track c is at right angles to the portable track B in the drawings, but may be parallel with it, provided that the machine is constructed with the axle of hangers 52 and 53 parallel with the axles of truck-wheels 51, which can easily be done.

IOO

IIO

The operation is as follows: The machine is first run out on the tramway of the mine and track c on the truck-wheels 50 till the wheels 5l stand over the rails of portable track B, when the screw if) is turned, letting` down the machine to bring the wheels 5l down on the rails of track B. The turning of the screw is continued until the wheels 50 are clear of the track c, so as not to interfere with the running of the machine freely on track B. The portable track B is placed parallel with the face of the coal to be cut, and preferably clamped in position by the clamping devices shown, said track B being at such a distance from the face of the coal that the machine will work freely along the track B when the cutter-arm C is parallel with the rails of said track. The machine is placed at rotates and, through the above connections and the shafts and gearing hereinbefore described, causes the arm C to turn slowly outward on its pivot into the coal, While the endless belt or chain and knives carried by said cutter-arm simultaneously carve out a path for it. This continues until the arm C has passed through a distance of about one hundred degrees, inclined slightly ahead of its pivotal point. The shaft Z, which is the pivotal point of the cutter-arm, C in the first travel of the machine, cannot quite reach the end of the chamber which is to be out in the coal, for the reason that the intervening parts of the frame and the machine Will prevent it from doing so, and

this end will be reached by such inclination of the cutter-arm. The machine can then end its next travel, in which it runs within the space or chamber thus cut at the same line, and the cut will again reach ahead of it to the end of the chamber, as before, so that at each traverse of the machine the latter Will end on the same line. arm C did not thus incline ahead of its pivotal point, its cut would necessarily end on the second traverse at a point a little short of that reached the first time, and the third cut would end a little short of the second. Thus, instead of a chamber even at the end, as is desired, there would be cut a chamber having an end advancing step by step, and the amount of coal cut out would be correspondingly diminished. Besides, the overhanging mass would be in a less advantageous condition for blasting, since these steps would be like pillars supporting one end of it. The cutter-band continues its operation with the cutter-arm in this position while the machine is being fed forward on track B. This track B may be made of sufficient length to extend If the said f along the whole face of coal to be undercut,

or it may consist of two sections, each mounted and arranged as shown, so that while the machine is being fed forward on one section the other may be brought around and arranged end to end in continuation thereof. This continues until the end of the face of the coal to be cnt is reached. Said feed-pinion is then shifted away from said rack, as stated, leaving the machine stationary, and the shaft 10 is shifted endwise to release the wheels 6 and 9 and bring the wheels 7 and 8 into engagement with each other. The arm C is caused thereby to turn into its lirst position. The shaft 29 is then unclutched by shifting the cone 58 away from wheel 2S. This stops the operation of all the machinery except the devices for driving the endless cotton-carrying belt, which runs continually with the motor. The machine is then run back along track B by hand to the starting-point. The screw i9 is then turned to raise the machine and wheels 5l from track B and force wheels 50 down on the track c. The frame A is then run along the track c out of the neighborhood of the coal which has been undercut andinto anotherchamber. The undercut mass of coal is then blasted and torn out by picks and removed. The track B is then moved forward into the space thus opened. The machine is then run to the point of beginning, and the operation proceeds as before.

This machine may of course be used for cutting out salt and fire-clay or any other suitable material. The device for clamping the track B to the ceiling is not a necessity, though it may often be found useful. It is unfastened when the track or track-section is to be moved as described.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. in a coal-cutting machine, the combination of an endless chain carrying cutters, a movable arm or support on which the said chain is mounted, gearing for driving the said chain, gearing for giving a sweeping motion to said arm, and automatic actuating devices independently operating these two sets of gearing and arranged and adapted to allow the reversal of the motion of the arm without reversing or stopping thetravel of the cuttercarrying chain, substantially as set forth.

12. in combination with the portable track B, a frame provided with truck-wheels 5l, adapted to run thereon, a cutter-arm and operating mechanism mounted on said frame, movable wheels 50, attached to supports which are pivoted to said frame, a supplemental track c, and a screw for forcing said wheels at will down on said track c, and thereby raising the machine and wheels 5l from the said track B, substantially as set forth.

b. An endless traveling belt provided with knives arranged to cut in three parallel lines, leaving two walls of coal between the cut- IOO IIO

tings, in combination with a wedge carried by said belt and arranged in the rear of the knives of the middle line in order that itmay break the said walls, substantially .as set forth.

4. An endless traveling belt provided with knives arranged alternately in pairs near its edges and singly along its middle line, in combination with a wedge of greater width than the knife or knives along said middle line carried by said belt in the rear of the latter knife or knives and arranged and adapted to break down the two walls of coal which may be left between the cut of the middle knife and the cuts of the outer knives, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The shaft 10, which is endwise movable and carries two gears, in combination with oppositely-facing gears on another shaft respectively meshing therewith, according to the position of said shaft 10, a cutting-arm arranged to be swung in one direction or the other by one or the other of these engagements, and the necessary intervening and driving mechanism, substantially as set forth.

6. The shaft 10, which is endwise movable and carries two gears, in combination with oppositely-facing gears on another shaft respectively meshing therewith according to the position of said shaft 10, a cutting-arm arranged to be swung in one direction or the other by one or the other of these engagements and the necessary intervening and driving mechanism, a second shaft 16 in alignment with said shaft 10, a sleeve connecting said shafts 10 and 16, but allowing the endwise motion of shaft 10, a driving-shaft, and intermediate devices for actuating the said shaft 16, substantially as set' forth.

7. A pairof dovetailed cutting-tools, in combination with an endless belt similarly recessed to receive them, a pin or rod transversely passing through said cutting-tools and a part of said bolt, and a set-screw bearing against said rod or pin, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

S. The cutter-arm C, provided with the plates m and m for embracing the driven sprocket-wheel, a hub part n, slotted at t, a bolt o, passing through said slot for securing these parts m, m', and n together, a screwbolt p, arranged in a recess r of part n and in alignment with said arm, a collar q, in which the end of said screw-bolt turns, a nut s, bearing against the ends of plates m and m and engaging screw-bolt p, and a bolt u and washers, which prevent the head of said screw-bolt from moving up and down in the recess, substantially as set forth.

9. An extensible cutter-arm consisting of a section formed of two parallel plates and a section formed of one plate fitting between them, in combination with a screw for extending said arm by forcing the outer section farther outward, and a nut engaging said screw and bearing against the end of the section, consisting of two plates, the said nut being V-shaped and overlapping the ends of said plates to force them toward each other on the plate between them, substantially as set forth.

10. The frame of a coal-cutting machine and a set of Wheels thereon, in combination with a second set of wheels and their movable supports, which are pivoted to said frame, and means for depressing said supports and the second series of wheels and thereby raising said frame, each set of Wheels being adapted to run on its own track and entirely support the machine, substantially as set forth.

11. A set of wheels on a connected series of pivoted supports, in combination with the frame of a coal-cutting machine, to which said supports are pivoted, a set of wheels on said frame, and a screw connected to said frame and engaging an attachment of said supports, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

12. In combination with the frame of accalcutting machine and truck-wheels attached thereto, a supplemental frame or truck provided with an additional series of wheels and connected by pivoted arms to said machineframe, and mechanism for raising either one of these frames and loweringthe other at will, for the purpose set forth.

13. In combination with the frame of a coalcutting machine and track-wheels attached thereto, a supplemental frame or truck provided with an additional series of wheels and connected by pivoted arms to said machineframe, and a screw for raising either one of these frames and lowering the other, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereofwe affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES I-I. MOEVEN. BURR E. CARTWRIGHT. Vitnesses:

J. M. SCHRAM, I. D. BELL.

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